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FERPA was never intended to place students into the box of a physical or online classroom to prevent them from learning from the public.

FERPA and Social Media FERPA applies only to information in the possession of the institution. This is an important point if instructors require students to post to a blog, social networking site, or any other site not affiliated with the institution. In this case, “the activity may not be FERPA-protected because it has not been received and therefore is not in the custody of the university, at least until the student submission is copied or possibly just reviewed by the faculty member.” (NC State FERPA Guidelines)

FERPA does not forbid instructors from using social media in the classroom, but common sense guidelines should be used to ensure the protection of students.